The Circus Tent

In a Circus Tent

Here's a little video impression of the Vive la Vie Songwriter Festival we played at this spring - it was a fantastic show - one of the best I've ever played. It took place in a turn of the century circus tent, made of wood and cloth, with very ornate wooden pillars, wood floors and amazing old lightbulbs. It really felt like going back in time. The audience was extremely attentive and loved our songs. It felt really good having people appreciate your music so much. We had people clap along for some songs which revealed a very interesting cultural difference between Germany and America. Germans clap on the heavy beats (1 and 3 in 4/4 time). This is due to classical music and historical musical development in Europe. Americans as well as the British, influenced by Rock and Pop music, emphasize the so-called "back-beat" (count 2and 4), which means they will clap on these beats. At a British/German wedding I played last week, I had half the audience clapping on 1. and 3 (the Germans) and the other half clapping on 2. and 4. (the Brits) which made for a hilarious back and forth effect.... I was laughing hard.